Let there be Rice!

Let there be Rice!
By Tahir Ibrahim Tahir Talban Bauchi. 

As intelligent, hardworking and technologically advanced as we brag to be, it is ironic that at the end of the day, we fail to show up for patriotism and country — and choose to dwell on the divides that do not crystallise into the positive building blocks of our national development. We tow the lines that harp on our differences, & rhetorics based on political party apathy. We most times embrace the gulfs of ethno-religious segmentations of our society, and deliberately fail to show up for our country. We are absent when it comes to celebrating her achievements and the progresses she has made, and are wont to converge and mock her, even when she has birthed something fruitful and prosperous. However, anytime we find ourselves stuck or in need of dear country, our voices are gravelly with echoes of her name and her might. When D’Tigers made waves whacking USA’s Dream Team, it was nicknamed Igbo team or IPOB team, when it wobbled, it was Nigerian again. When the Super Eagles didn’t score, the striker is labelled gateman because he is of a certain demographic, but when he does, the Super Eagles are flying again, and are the only team in Afcon 2021 to make the group stages on a stainless slate. 
          The CBN and RIFAN (Rice farmers association of Nigeria) unveiled the pyramids in Abuja, as seeds of the long and aggressive Anchor Borrowers Programme,. Many rose to blindly and sheepishly discredit the programme. An old image from a certain state, which showed the assembling of rafters, as if constructing a roof, with Rice bags placed as tiles, to simulate a huge pyramid; was shared to disillusion gullible ones, that the CBN/ RIFAN event was dubious and unreal. Some said the bags were filled with sand, while some dissected the event as a waste of resources and energy. Some didn’t want to credit the administration due to party affiliations, and others didn’t want to have non of it, because of the their own biases. Most couldn’t put Nigeria first and all other differences aside, and be happy that motherland, has achieved this milestone, despite the overwhelming and depressing global environment for business and governance. 
          It is more than evident in our importation bills that the importation for food, especially rice, has stepped down many notches. Government intervention in the importation of rice has also dropped astronomically. One million bags which is just a percentage of what RIFAN has produced, were unveiled at the event, being an aggregation of the 2020 dry season, and the 2021 wet season. They are the commitment from farmers in the repayment of their loans from the Anchor-borrowers programme. No fewer than 230 small, medium and large scale rice mills have emerged all over the country from 2015 to 2021. A kano based lady has a 160 ton per day capacity rice mill in Kano, while another, one of the biggest, has a 32 metric tonnes per hour capacity built in Lagos. From averaging less than 3 million metric tonnes per year, back in 2015, an outstanding 7 to 9 million metric tonnes per annum has been achieved in 2021. The rice revolution is unbelievable, but far away from being a hoax. 
            Ado Hassan, the Secretary of the Kano chapter of RIFAN, had said that their move was towards engendering the twin benefits of food security and economic diversification. Agriculture contributed over 21% of our GDP. This is incontrovertible evidence that a lot has actually been achieved in this sector. Nigeria has actually become the largest rice grower in Africa and neighbouring countries are coming in to educate themselves on how Nigeria is dominating Africa, as the giant of any continent should rightly do. 
      Nigeria is gradually achieving food security and that is something we should be proud of, and glad to attain. The vociferousness of global inflation is biting the most developed countries too, and not just developing nations like dear country. A Briton was lamenting that cost of parking which was just £.10 a few months ago, had risen to £.50! Perhaps if Nigeria were not hindered by insecurity and a pandemic for the last 3 years, we could have been celebrating a lot of such pyramids across the country. The military does a show of force, so does the NAF with jets in formations over our skies. Lecturers have conferences, and the NBA has annual conferences as well. Every sector of our economy has players coming together under one roof, to showcase their achievements and discuss prospects. Why can’t our dear farmers, under the auspices of RIFAN, do their own show of rice? Isn’t it an important part of accountability? We do pray that their efforts will have a direct effect on the market price of rice in the coming weeks, as the mills get busy, husking the rice that was showcased. We also pray that unscrupulous marketers will not deny the comman man the fruit of this labor. Those ones are a whole chapter of those unpatriotic ones we so have to live with. 
Tahir is Talban Bauchi. 

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Covid 19: A case for Bauchi

On the 26th of March, 2020, The Bauchi State Governor, Sen. Bala Mohammed tested positive to COVID-19; the corona virus that has now gained reputation as the fastest spreading virus in human history, with no vaccine or anti-virus in sight. Sen. Bala Mohammed was discharged from quarantine and treatment on the 9th of April 2020; and was given a clean bill of health by the National Centre for Disease Control, NCDC. Just after being discharged, as he was leaving the hospital, he said to reporters, “I went through hell while in isolation for treatment, I felt like I was alone but the love, affection and prayers shown to me by the people of Bauchi really kept me going.” Bala Mohammed had also thanked the people of Bauchi State for standing by him all through the trying period. He said, “I cannot hide my health status, but if by doing so I have offended anyone, I apologise for that. It was indeed a very trying time for me, but glory be to God that I was able to pass the test.” Just before Gov. Bala Mohammed became the index case for his state, Dangote had given Bauchi state a cash donation of N200 million naira, to be disbursed as capital to needy women, as start up for various kinds of local enterprise, to alleviate the hardships they encounter daily, trying to make a living. Mentally, I had penned a letter to Dangote, thanking him for the thought, but basically to urge him to top his donation to atleast a billion naira. Dangote had made donations of cash, housing estates and other palliatives, amounting to billions of naira to Borno state, to help cushion the effects of the Boko Haram war. Bauchi state, which is at the base of the north-east, has served as a trough for the entire people of the north-eastern states and everyone migrating from especially Borno, Yobe and Adamawa states, has ended up in Bauchi. With this development, Bauchi has witnessed a very huge population boom and the proliferation of settlements doting the state’s landscape. These settlements have ballooned into towns and now exist as ‘new districts’ within the Bauchi metropolis. Such areas include Kandahar, Sabon Kaura, Wuntin Dada and Yelwa area. There’s also a whole new layout that has sprouted at the Tirwun area, which is towards the Bauchi-Maiduguri road. Also, the numbers of going or achaba riders, keke-napep, and the vectra/sharon commercial motorists, have grown astronomically as most of the okada or going riders, that have been banned from operating in neighbouring states, are now all hauled up in Bauchi. Over 80 percent of the population of people in Bauchi have to get out there daily to earn a living. 

The economic landscape of Bauchi is not so favorable, with hardly any manufacturing enterprise or industries in the state. This has therefore made every single citizen in Bauchi state a civil servant. Everyone is a civil servant because – you are either waiting for the salary payment at the end of the month, or as a trader, you are waiting for the salary earners to come and patronize your trade immediately they get paid. So at the end of the day, the entire state population is dependent on the state government for virtually everything. Of the 1.2 million children that are of school age, over 777,000 are out of school, which means that more than half the kids in Bauchi state are out of school. The water reticulation networks are just being upgraded and expanded as the state is witnessing an over population which is stretching its infrastructure and social amenities. 

My deep gut fear here is that; were COVID-19 to break loose and run amok into Bauchi and its environs, we would surely have a serious humanitarian crises on our hands. In the first round of infections of the corona virus that got around a few states, Bauchi was lucky that its index case was the state chief-executive himself, and therefore tracing his contacts and being able to quarantine them was a whole lot easier. The state governor had the number one responsibility of being disciplined enough to contain and isolate himself and all his contacts and he did just that excellently. God was kind to the state and the first wave of infections was just 6 infections with all of them discharged and cleared, without a single death. The state government locked down the state from any inflow or outflow of commuters, and the citizenry were free to move within the towns of Bauchi, Azare, Misau etc

Just 7 days ago, Bauchi witnessed an additional 15 infected persons in a new wave of corona virus attacks, spreading from people that have entered the state mainly from Kano and Lagos states. As at today, Bauchi has about 48 confirmed and hospitalised cases, with neighbouring Gombe state registering 92 cases. Because of this and inspite of the difficult economic condition of the state, the state government has had to step up the lockdown features that it had earlier put in place – enabling stricter measures. Only food stalls or shops are allowed to open, Friday prayers were also stopped and all other congregational prayers and sermons of the Ramadhaan Fasting period were also stopped. Okada riders were stopped from operating and the keke-napeps were only allowed to carry 2 passengers at a time. Facemasks were enforced too for persons stepping out in public, and movement in the evenings became restricted. As testing capacities are being improved, it means that towns like Bauchi that were among the first, that had shown fewer statistics of infected persons are going to record a significant rise in the number of confirmed cases. 

Bauchi is very similar to Kano state in terms of over populated areas, and also the percentage of the disadvantaged or mass population of its citizenry. God forbid were Bauchi to step out the way Kano did, with the wave of deaths from corona and other illnesses, Bauchi’s case is going to be worse because for starters; Bauchi does not have the BUA’s and the Abdulsamads, nor the Dangotes and the Dantatas to come to the rescue with equipments, isolation centres or food palliatives. If the FG is sending 110 trailers of food to Kano, it should send no less than 90 trailers to Bauchi. Kano’s population cannot be more than 2 million people more than the population in Bauchi. If the FG is mulling 15 billion in facilities or funds for Kano, then Bauchi should also have atleast 10 billion earmarked. A stitch in time for Bauchi, will save thousands from dying. Some say the economic hardship is tougher than corona itself but time shall tell. Ghana and Germany have relaxed their lockdowns and have witnessed over 60% rise in their previous number of corona infected persons. Now that the FG is experimenting with relaxing lockdowns which is for sure going to backfire – but then it may also just teach the citizenry of the country a lesson in law-abiding citizenship. It is my hope that the FG would give states like Bauchi and Gombe a kinder attention because on thing is for sure – if the corona re-surges after easing the lockdown, it would be that ‘unprintable’ thing hitting the ceiling fan! States like Bauchi have pre-existing and severe economic conditions that have been screaming palliatives even before corona. May God protect us all and deliver us from this pandemic that even the World Health Organisation is appearing clueless about how to abate or decimate it.

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Covid 19: A case for Bauchi

Covid 19: A case for Bauchi

On the 26th of March, 2020, The Bauchi State Governor, Sen. Bala Mohammed tested positive to COVID-19; the corona virus that has now gained reputation as the fastest spreading virus in human history, with no vaccine or anti-virus in sight. Sen. Bala Mohammed was discharged from quarantine and treatment on the 9th of April 2020; and was given a clean bill of health by the National Centre for Disease Control, NCDC. Just after being discharged, as he was leaving the hospital, he said to reporters, “I went through hell while in isolation for treatment, I felt like I was alone but the love, affection and prayers shown to me by the people of Bauchi really kept me going.” Bala Mohammed had also thanked the people of Bauchi State for standing by him all through the trying period. He said, “I cannot hide my health status, but if by doing so I have offended anyone, I apologise for that. It was indeed a very trying time for me, but glory be to God that I was able to pass the test.” Just before Gov. Bala Mohammed became the index case for his state, Dangote had given Bauchi state a cash donation of N200 million naira, to be disbursed as capital to needy women, as start up for various kinds of local enterprise, to alleviate the hardships they encounter daily, trying to make a living.

Mentally, I had penned a letter to Dangote, thanking him for the thought, but basically to urge him to top his donation to atleast a billion naira. Dangote had made donations of cash, housing estates and other palliatives, amounting to billions of naira to Borno state, to help cushion the effects of the Boko Haram war. Bauchi state, which is at the base of the north-east, has served as a trough for the entire people of the north-eastern states and everyone migrating from especially Borno, Yobe and Adamawa states, has ended up in Bauchi. With this development, Bauchi has witnessed a very huge population boom and the proliferation of settlements doting the state’s landscape. These settlements have ballooned into towns and now exist as ‘new districts’ within the Bauchi metropolis. Such areas include Kandahar, Sabon Kaura, Wuntin Dada and Yelwa area. There’s also a whole new layout that has sprouted at the Tirwun area, which is towards the Bauchi-Maiduguri road. Also, the numbers of going or achaba riders, keke-napep, and the vectra/sharon commercial motorists, have grown astronomically as most of the okada or going riders, that have been banned from operating in neighbouring states, are now all hauled up in Bauchi. Over 80 percent of the population of people in Bauchi have to get out there daily to earn a living. 
The economic landscape of Bauchi is not so favorable, with hardly any manufacturing enterprise or industries in the state. This has therefore made every single citizen in Bauchi state a civil servant. Everyone is a civil servant because – you are either waiting for the salary payment at the end of the month, or as a trader, you are waiting for the salary earners to come and patronize your trade immediately they get paid. So at the end of the day, the entire state population is dependent on the state government for virtually everything. Of the 1.2 million children that are of school age, over 777,000 are out of school, which means that more than half the kids in Bauchi state are out of school. The water reticulation networks are just being upgraded and expanded as the state is witnessing an over population which is stretching its infrastructure and social amenities. 

My deep gut fear here is that; were COVID-19 to break loose and run amok into Bauchi and its environs, we would surely have a serious humanitarian crises on our hands. In the first round of infections of the corona virus that got around a few states, Bauchi was lucky that its index case was the state chief-executive himself, and therefore tracing his contacts and being able to quarantine them was a whole lot easier. The state governor had the number one responsibility of being disciplined enough to contain and isolate himself and all his contacts and he did just that excellently. God was kind to the state and the first wave of infections was just 6 infections with all of them discharged and cleared, without a single death. The state government locked down the state from any inflow or outflow of commuters, and the citizenry were free to move within the towns of Bauchi, Azare, Misau etc

Just 7 days ago, Bauchi witnessed an additional 15 infected persons in a new wave of corona virus attacks, spreading from people that have entered the state mainly from Kano and Lagos states. As at today, Bauchi has about 48 confirmed and hospitalised cases, with neighbouring Gombe state registering 92 cases. Because of this and inspite of the difficult economic condition of the state, the state government has had to step up the lockdown features that it had earlier put in place – enabling stricter measures. Only food stalls or shops are allowed to open, Friday prayers were also stopped and all other congregational prayers and sermons of the Ramadhaan Fasting period were also stopped. Okada riders were stopped from operating and the keke-napeps were only allowed to carry 2 passengers at a time. Facemasks were enforced too for persons stepping out in public, and movement in the evenings became restricted. As testing capacities are being improved, it means that towns like Bauchi were among the first, that had shown fewer statistics of infected persons are going to record a significant rise in the number of confirmed cases. 

Bauchi is very similar to Kano state in terms of over populated areas, and also the percentage of the disadvantaged or mass population of its citizenry. God forbid were Bauchi to step out the way Kano did, with the wave of deaths from corona and other illnesses, Bauchi’s case is going to be worse because for starters; Bauchi does not have the BUA’s and the Abdulsamads, nor the Dangotes and the Dantatas to come to the rescue with equipments, isolation centres or food palliatives. If the FG is sending 110 trailers of food to Kano, it should send no less than 90 trailers to Bauchi. Kano’s population cannot be more than 2 million people more than the population in Bauchi. If the FG is mulling 15 billion in facilities or funds for Kano, then Bauchi should also have atleast 10 billion earmarked. A stitch in time for Bauchi, will save thousands from dying. Some say the economic hardship is tougher than corona itself but time shall tell. Ghana and Germany have relaxed their lockdowns and have witnessed over 60% rise in their previous number of corona infected persons. Now that the FG is experimenting with relaxing lockdowns which is for sure going to backfire – but then it may also just teach the citizenry of the country a lesson in law-abiding citizenship. It is my hope that the FG would give states like Bauchi and Gombe a kinder attention because on thing is for sure – if the corona re-surges after easing the lockdown, it would be that ‘unprintable’ thing hitting the ceiling fan! States like Bauchi have pre-existing and severe economic conditions that have been screaming palliatives even before corona. May God protect us all and deliver us from this pandemic that even the World Health Organisation is appearing clueless about how to abate or decimate it.

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My personal loss

by Tahir Ibrahim Tahir Talban Bauchi

Late Mallam Abba Kyari

All men must serve and all men must die. “Each man’s death diminishes me, for I am involved in mankind, therefore send not to know for whom the bell tolls – it tolls for thee” __ famous words from John Donne from the 1624 meditation 17, (Devotions upon emergent occasions). The Bible’s Romans 8:13 says, “If we live, we live for the Lord, and if we die, we die for the Lord. So whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord. The Qur’an’s Al’Ankabut 29:57 says, “every soul must taste death, and in the end, unto us shall all be brought back”. Abba Kyari, a notoriously popular name since he was appointed PMB’s Chief Of Staff, has passed on to the great beyond, put to the ground as soon as he died, in one piece of cloth, at Gudu cemetery; according to Islamic rights – contrary to some opinion that he had passed away atleast two weeks before. The most recalcitrant and vociferous voices of opposition and criticism towards the Buhari administration were effusive with kind words of compassion and attestation to valor and loyalty. Femi Fani Kayode and Reno Omokri both mourned this colossal loss, and were full of eulogies for the vastly experienced and knowledgeable Kyari.

Even in death, the Nigerian media space was flled with inaccurate reporting or representation of the barest information or data about Abba Kyari. It was widely reported that he died at 80, while infact, Kyari was 67 until a few days ago. They never knew him and never cared to. They were stoically out to crucify and vilify his character. They had long assassinated his personality one too many times, and buried him before now. What was left was “a carcass” of Nigeria’s problem, and only two days ago, the Lord himself, Almighty and Eternal and All, rescued what was left of Kyari, back to the great beyond; where we all are destined for. The shylocks of the corridors of power contended with a loyal and resolute gatekeeper who was incorruptible to their ploys and machinations; and as soon as that had dawned, Abba Kyari was toast! A hausa proverb says, “A dead body is feared because of its silence”; and because he never muttered a word throughout their festival of calumny, it made him all the more awesome and them – worrisome. 

In 1995, I suffered a sprain in my back and I was ‘ferried’ regularly by Uncle Abba to The Lagoon Hospital in Lagos, and I was well attended to by Professor, Dr. Elebute who was one of the best medical minds at the time. Uncle Abba, along with his wife Anty Kulu, who is my mum’s younger sister, always encouraged me to be tops of my class, and they never ceased to shower me with gifts and care when I was in school. I in turn, never failed them in topping class. When he became Chief of Staff, I knew to veer off his radar as I was sure that I would definitely be ready material for whoever wanted to once again launch media calumny against him. I knew Abba would shy away from being shaded as nepotic and I also decided to save him the trouble of thronging his residence or his office. 

Since 2015 when he became Chief, till he died, I never met him eye to eye. We exchanged text messages no more than twice, and spoke on the phone not more than thrice. They were condolence messages, or whenever he fell ill. When it was said that he had corona, I called my aunt and she hooked me up with him on the phone. He always called me Babatalba, just the way he addressed my late dad, Ibrahim Tahir, who had practically raised Uncle Abba, as his son. It was so humorous when we spoke and we laughed really hard, partly in the joy of speaking to each other after such a long time, and wholly because he was hale and hearty. Even if he was infected, he was not ill. I was jolly happy and felt that he was going to be fine. Alas he would be fine in the hands of the Lord. Abba was never worldly. He was always dorned in a cheaply white cloth with the same red caps called Dara – and that’s why he was often referred to as ‘mai jan hula’. Just like the red berrets of the Nigerian Army, Abba was Buhari’s red berret. The Senior Special Assistant to Mr. President on Social Intervention Programmes, Ismail Ahmed, in his eulogy of Uncle Abba, wrote, “We blamed you for everything and yet you took it in like a champ. Your stoic silence and loyalty to your country and countrymen was obvious. You served your boss well. 

Abba’s pedigree was comparable to non of his peers which just explains why the hatred, and why the antagonism. He is a son to the Emir of Bama and heir to the throne, which he passed off to one of his uncles. He had a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Sociology from Warwick and another Bachelor of Arts Degree in Law from Cambridge. He possessed a Masters Degree in Law from the same Cambridge, and attended the International  Institute for Management Development at Lausanne Switzerland. He was also a product of the Management Development Program at Harvard Business School. Rising through various positions and cadres in Law firms, in Business Institutions, and as Editor of The Democrat. He rose to become the MD of UBA,and subsequently a board member of ExxonMobil. Buhari said it all in his eulogy of the man Abba. “He possessed the sharpest legal and organisational mind, and he was the very best of us all, and was made of the stuff that made Nigeria great. He strove quietly without any quest for publicity or personal gain, to implement my agenda”. Her Excellency, Catriona Laing CB, British High Commissioner to Nigeria, in her condolence letter, said of Abba, that – “He was highly respected in the International Community as a passionate champion of Nigeria’s interests. I engaged regularly with Abba Kyari in his capacity as Chief of Staff to Nigeria’s President, and I greatly value our open, honest and frank dialogue. He brought spirit, tenacity, and a tireless commitment to his beloved Nigeria”. 

PMB has dodged many bullets as the C-in-C, wearing a stealthy armour – in the services, loyalty, knowledge, vastness and International acclaim of his COS, Mallam Abba, who lapped it all up. The vacuum is huge, painful and a colossal loss. May he rest in peace and may Allah grant him paradise. In islamic beliefs, one is a martyr if he dies on a Friday, and so is one, if he dies from an affliction from a pandemic. Curiously, Abba had both. Our prayers are with him God willing. Now that he has left the stage, the keys to the Eldorado-Nigeria have been released and left to Nigeria and Nigerians to pick them and open up all those things that Abba has ‘locked up’; afterall, he can’t take them with him in his tiny grave for one. Nigeria is free and will be free I guess, according to his naysayers. 10 year-old issues like infrastructure-deficits, terrorism, banditry, rape, baby factories, cultism, rituals, almajiris, corruption, fake news and so on will be gone by Monday – for the myth of Abba is gone.  

An unwholesome silver lining

“After the war, the Israelites came to Moses, and said, we counted and NO ONE IS MISSING (num31v49)”. The Corona virus (COVID-19), even though seemingly a biological warfare virus; has had approximately eleven thousand eight hundred and forty two deaths round the globe. And for Nigeria, a black developing nation that is handsomely over-populated, with hardly any 5 deaths recorded from the pandemic that is ravaging across Europe and Asia — we certainly do have a moses in our hands, as far as managing this pandemic is concerned. I had written previously about the Federal government’s border closure policy among others, including a cap on foreign exchange available for the importation of milk, and also the ban on the importation of rice. On the 6th of October, 2019; in my article titled, ‘Border closure: A Pulchritudinous gift for Nigeria at 59!’, I had expressed optimism over the decision by the PMB administration to shut down our borders, mainly due to the breach of Ecowas protocols by neighbouring countries, which had made our country a dumping ground for all manner of goods; much to the detriment of our ailing and comatose local industries. In the piece, I highlighted how the border closure had stared down local consumption of petrol from a whopping 60 million litres a day, to no more than the average 45 million litres, despite some leakages.

The policy suffered huge criticism, and it was questioned as a move to favor northern borders, as some insisted that borders in the north were still open for business. One thing is for sure though, and that is the unprecedented rise in government revenue from the customs, which recorded between 5 to 9.5 billion daily, as at the time of the closure. Social media economists and other ‘egonomists’ just couldn’t come to agree that the closure; including the ban on the importation of rice and other essential commodities that we had the capacity or wherewithal to produce locally, was a good move for economic independence and our overall political and economic sovereignty. Local production of rice grew quite alright, but yet, marketers just wouldnt allow the price to reflect a local production and distribution process, as against exorbitant and artificial prices of importation. This posture needs no unveiling, as it is with other criticisms — cynically laced and blighted with the uncharitable hatred for PMB and all that he does, whether positive or negative.

I came across a piece by one Fredrick Nwabufo on TheCable news website, titled, ‘Who will explain coronavirus to Buhari’? Where he penned that an unfiltered Buhari is a vacuously gaffing one. He alluded that to PMB’s comments beside the German chancellor, Angela Merkel, when he said his wife Aisha belonged to the other room and the kitchen; which is nothing short of the writer’s deficiency in humor, as the chancellor laughed the statement off. The new governor of Bayelsa state, Senator Douye Diri was at the Villa recently on a courtesy visit for the first time as governor to meet with the president, and it was pristinely clear that he was rollicking in laughter from the humor mill of Mr. President almost all through. He confessed he felt at home and was confident in Mr. President’s role as father of the nation, embracing all, across party lines. A blighted IQ cannot be humorous or sarcastic as we all know. Nwabufo also drew our attention to PMB’s statements over the inherent laziness in our youth population, where he cited that young men want to have it easy and are not willing to work hard. According to Mr. Nwabufo, this statement makes Buhari a dullard and unworthy of being our president. However, just 3 days ago, over 60 youths reportedly students of the University of Abuja, were arrested by locals in conjunction with the Nigeria police, as they were operating as armed robbers, masquerading as cultists, visiting mayhem, upon travellers along the Gwagwalada-Kuje axis. A few months ago, quite a number of youths, almost in hundreds, were arrested over ‘yahoo-yahoo’ crimes of internet robberies and other advanced fee fraud. Mr. President’s commentary in the february 2016 interview by UK Telegraph, was more than apt. The Boko Haram orgy of violence had found this mentality of Nigerian youths, as a veritable tool or catalyst for their pogrom.

Corona has not found a place in Nigeria, and in most African countries as well, and we thank our stars and of course God Almighty. We thank Mr. President for those timely, fore-sighted policies that saw to a shut-down of our borders, for the promotion of our local industries and farmers, for self subsistence in food atleast. China’s shutdown from the rest of the world, due to the ‘China-virus as President Trump calls it, or ‘Kung-flu’, as one of his aides called it, would have caused a rice famine in Nigeria, and that would have been our own ‘indigenous pandemic’ (as Nigerians cannot survive without rice). The way Europeans are scampering for face masks and toiletries, would be the way Nigerians would be rushing to hospitals to get ‘rice drips’! People with rice silos or ample supply in their homes would have been robbed at gun point, for the right to life, in the form of rice!

Measures taken by the NCDC, the national centre for disease control, have been excellent, and have caused the NCDC to be hailed and commended, world over. The Lagos state governor, Mr. Sanwo-olu was most proactive and within no time, quarantine centres were put in place and suspected patients were tracked adequately. Nature is on our side as far as corona is concerned and with prompt and disciplined response, we are a population that will not be cut down by this ‘whiteman’ malaria. Mr. Fredrick was angry that PMB had not addressed the nation over corona, and had ‘vacuously’ left out all the tremendous efforts that the government had taken, to tackle the scourge within no time. This is such a time to be proud to be Nigerian, and to be thankful that we have not been so ‘nigerian’ this time around. We have flip flopped from a people that are calling for the President’s head because he closed our borders, to a people who are asking the President to shut down our borders, our international airports, our mosques, and our churches! What a time to be alive!

The Federal government has cut down its spending and has initiated a 1 trillion naira intervention in all critical sectors. The Federal government has also reduced the pump price of petrol to reflect international costs and are working on a modulation of pricing to reflect the market’s ticking. But Mr. Nwabufo still wants someone to put PMB through coronavirus? Wow! It is evident that whatever Mr. President does, in as along as it is him involved, he will never get it right. The thinking of his critics is more vacuous, than their supposed grading of his intellect and capacity. When their favourites had oil prices at 140 dollars per barrel and have not carved us an Eldorado, it is so much a dis-service to denigrate one who is now struggling with prices as low as 28 dollars per barrel, and still contain a corona that is giving Italy and the US and the UK and China sleepless nights. I look back in contentment of supporting the border closure and it is now certain that it was definitely a beautiful or Pulchritudinous gift for Nigeria at 59, otherwise, by now, it would have been a hammer house of horror and uproar! If Americans of the 21st century have a Trump as President and despite his unwitty handling of the pandemic, support and celebrate him, then by God I celebrate PMB over this corona palaver. Dont you?

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APC: NEEDING GMB

APC: Needing GMB

The APC is facing crises and the comrade chairman is losing the spirit of cameraderie over perceived persecution or real victimisation from party stalwarts and stakeholders, who were otherwise accomplices — in party activities and election time decision making, that saw to the making or unmaking of other party men and loyalists. Comrade Adams bared it all in statements credited to him, as he explained or unmasked those that were behind his travails, especially the court order that suspended him as party chairman, and asked him to vacate his office as national chair. National chair of the APC, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole has had a torrid time lately, especially from late 2018 when the party had its primary elections, building up to the general elections of last year (2019). From then on, the party has sailed through very murky waters and it is beginning to mimmick the pattern of a dejavu of what had befallen the PDP when power was wrestled away from it.

The fact that the election results of three states have had to be decided via court judgements is beyond proof that all is not well with the party and its decision making body; with the most bizarre of these results being the result of the Zamfara elections where the APC won more than two thirds of the votes cast, but yet, do not have the seat of the governorship in their kitty, nor the 3 senatorial seats, and almost a dozen seats in the house of representatives. Even after winning Bayelsa state, the Supreme Court awarded the governorship seat to the PDP, in a judgement that penalised the APC for fielding Senator Degi Erenmienyo as the deputy governorship candidate, who had filed false information, regarding his educational qualifications. Imo state elections’ results had to be claimed by the APC, via the Supreme court, even though this particular case in question, is not exactly the fault of the APC; but it is no secret that Comrade Adams and the then APC governor of Imo state, Rochas Okorocha, were at loggerheads.

Oyo state was another case whereby the candidate preferred by the governor, Ajumobi at the time, was not the candidate presented by the APC at the centre — the APC under the control of the national chair, Adams Oshiomhole. Aside the choice of candidates for primaries, there were those of the opinion that the party was being run by one man alone, and that the National Executive Council of the party was either non functional, or a rubber stamp one. There were moves by some party chieftains to remove the party chairman at the time, and a few governors were fingered in the ploy. The APC chieftains were at cross roads over the matter and there wasn’t a clear cut majority decision to let the chairman go. Mr. President saved the day and said a vote of confidence in support of the chairman. Clearly, it was the beginning of it all.

Comrade Adams threw away the garb of ‘comradeship’ and practically spelt out a host of names that he firmly believed were behind his travails and suspension, as declared by the courts, a few days ago. The judiciary too has been complicit in not just the party chair’s court steeplechase, but other election matters, which are beginning to ridicule our judicial systems. Comrade had ‘shared’ his own fair share of the controversial judicial treatments that have been all over the country of late, and is perhaps furious enough to bring down his detractors, and inadvertently, the party along with it, if caution is not welcomed in fast. GMB must step in quickly.

We were all witnesses to a tirade of five governors, who abandoned the PDP, joined the newly formed APC, and were a very glorious part of the historic change that the APC brandishes, day in, day out. Almost eight years after, the APC is tipping to the brink of such political capitulation and upheaval, that seems destined to a short term adventure at the helm of affairs at the centre. The powers and the smart alexs’ of the APC, may be forgetting the master formula or almighty equation that brought it to power not too long ago. There seem to be moves to take over the party leadership, with a view to controlling who becomes the party’s presidential flagbearer. Forgetting that the Integrity or ‘chastity’ of PMB with regards to public funds, conjoined with the political sagacity of the Jagaban, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, was the exact reason the APC took over from the PDP.

Should the comrade and his erstwhile colleagues at the former governors forum, and some in the present forum, decide to sheath their swords, guide their utterances and guard their baby party for the time being, the better for the next level and the higher level or newer level. Should they continue to bicker over who gets what and why, then certainly, the PDP may not have to sweat their pants out come 2023.

Senator Akpabio reminded Buhari that there are three political parties in the country, namely the PDP, the APC, and Buhari — with the 12 million votes. And that should he decide to walk away during and after 2023, then APC would definitely seize to exist. No politician has told Buhari the hard-core truth of late, that I can remember. Buhari must find GMB at least one last time, to midwife a teething APC, which is seemingly falling off its cradle, faster than anyone thought. It is almost looking like a sleep over of strange bed fellows, waking up to the bellows of a sad farewell.

GMB must whip dissenting ‘persona non gratas’ in line, with a whip akin to that of a soldier-recruits training ground whip (politically speaking of course). Efforts put in place to frustrate Jagaban’s presidential ambition seems to be the bone of contention, which is at the same time unfortunate — as it is biting off the finger that fed the party. Efforts should be concentrated more on making the next level work, and realising what was promised in 2015 and 2019. That will be the ace to winning the 2023 presidential elections’, and any other elections. And anything other than this is perhaps PDP in motion, within the APC, just the way the APC was in motion in the PDP back then. The ‘not too young to run’ are watching and learning and its a pity that what is being watched and taught is completely undesirable and wrong. Our leaders are not mentoring young politicians well. Taking on Adams now, is a wrong move and a distraction from the success of the APC, and the players must be made to understand this firmly. Politics will come when it comes, but for now, the public space is only amenable to the dividends of politics alone.

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No Not Mallam Abba Kyari III

No not Mallam Abba Kyari III

Because I know Abba Kyari closely, and I’ve known him for well over 43 years — I find it most appalling when certain media say some things about him, especially regarding Aso Rock’s officialdom. I’m 43 and I’ve known Abba for 43 years because I grew up with Abba as my uncle, and a younger brother to my dad. He was that uncle that was always head-up in newspapers, down-out to the mosque for prayers; and I hardly ever recollect him eating aside sips upon sips of hot coffee all the time, no matter the time of day. I can say that Abba is truly the genial type because for him to have lived more than 2/3s of his entire life with late Talba, Dr. Ibrahim Tahir (my late father), and to have even married Talba’s wife’s younger sister — Abba stands out from the myriads of associates that I have known to enter and leave Talba’s vast human activity circle; simply because he stuck up the longest and the most peaceful. No drama, and nothing obscene, as he was that character around Talba that was obsequious and reserved — cool, calm, collected if you may.

I was encouraged to write again over Abba’s activity in government and the trail of accusations and slander that have somewhat reappeared to bedevil and taint his personality and image, in his first outing as a public figure. Abba was MD UBA Plc. back in 1995/6, and he was your quintessential Bank Executive that led one of the most prominent banks in the country, and indeed Africa at large. A product of Cambridge University from the early 80s, Uncle Abba was and still remains one of the brainiest and most knowledgeable Economist and Banker of his time. I was encouraged to write on him and his travails, by an article I saw on the opinion page of leadership newspapers of 20th February, titled, ‘Mallam Abba Kyari remains in his honor’, written by Ekpenyong O. Esq.

The writer had claimed that no one had ever written on Abba, or rather, no one had written in defense of Abba, which is an erroneous claim, even though I reckon that Mr. Ekpenyong was trying to say that — he knows inspite of all the slander and acrimony manufactured on blogosphere and pages of dailies, and even sound and video media waves, Abba would never initiate a media or face saving machinery, to protect him, or atleast even give his own side of the story, especially in the heat of the recent temperatures, generated by the ‘leak’ of a memo from the National Security Adviser, to the Service Chiefs. The leaked memo made reference to Abba Kyari, and his alleged meddlesomness, in the correspondence between PMB and the Service generals, either in person or in official documents.

So Mr. Ekpenyong, I put it to you that I have written on two different occasions over Kyari’s brouhaha with sponsored media attacks on his person. My first was titled, ‘No not Mallam Abba’ which was published on my blog tahirtalba.wordpress.com, on the 27th of October 2016, and I’d said that, ” It is not too surprising that politicians used to the way of previous governments will find Abba Kyari a bit square in their dealings with him and may not be happy with his insistence of things being done by the book, and the right way all the time. They might want to flout certain protocol and that may not sit well with the Abba Kyari I know. That may cause a lot of ill feeling towards the guy just doing his job”. This was during the mtn allegation brought against Kyari. His vindication I believe was in the axing of mtn and the arbitration that ordered them to repatriate 8 billions dollars back to the country and the negotiation that saw them enlist on the Nigeria Stock Exchange, NSE.

Subsequently, I wrote a sequel to my first piece on Kyari, which I again titled ‘No not Mallam Abba II’, which was published on The Dailytrust newspaper, on the 13th of September, 2018. In it I had said, and I quote, “For the Chief of Staff to Mr. President to go as low and as condescending as collecting 29 million Naira from a helpless cousin of his frankly torments my imagination. The principled Abba Kyari? No way I ranted! As his nephew, I know not to approach him for favors even with the powers that his office wields, knowing fully well that he would shy away from granting any for fear of being nepotic. Infact since Uncle Abba became the Chief of Staff, I have run into him once at The International Conference Centre, in the company of Mallam Mamman Daura, whilst I was the Senior Special Assistant on Scheduling to Gov. MA Abubakar Esq. of Bauchi — and as far as Uncle Abba was concerned, I was gainfully employed and thus needed no assistance whatsoever and I courageously embraced that standing”.

The job description of the COS is only as directed by the President, and just at the beginning of this renewed tenure of PMB, he had alloted a lot to Mallam Abba. In my opinion, Mr. Monguno has to contend with Mallam Abba, inadvertently, as even the private or confidential memos he writes to Mr. President do go under the scrutiny of Mallam Abba. The 19th Sarkin Gwandu, Emir Jokolo, who is also a former military boss, while lamenting the sad development where the NSA had written to the Service Chiefs, asking them to circumvent Mr. President’s right hand man or as I’d prefer; other hand, as Chief of Staff, queried that the two had no basis or reason to have a fracas, especially that they were both from Borno, the theater of the Boko boys, where a genocide is taking place. The most expected with be an unprecedented synergy, in addition to a Chief of Army, that hails from… yes!

The NSA is a member of the National Security Council which is constitutionally empowered to advise Mr. President on security matters. It is perhaps over-reaching for the NSA to determine the COS’s level of involvement with the President’s office as it relates to security. All his grievances ought to have been shared with the C-in-C whenever he gets the opportunity to, as Baba had categorically emphasised to his cabinet, at their swearing-in; that Mallam Abba and the SGF, are their go to aides or officials, as far as correspondence and appointments were concerned. A silent NSA role or office has been a blessing in this administration, as opposed to the previous one where 2 billion dollars was disbursed from that office, to politicians, instead of procurement for the military as officially stated for the funds. 6 years running, had PMB lost patience or trust in Mallam Abba, he certainly would have bade him farewell long ago. For now, the geeky Abba is PMB’s no 1. Chrome, Webster, and engine room. It is difficult to believe that Mallam Abba will act alone, without the consent and approval of his principal in his dealings with the Service Chiefs. The Boko war has raged on before Abba came on board and so removing him will not end the war instantaneously, would it?

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China: Technology in prayers

by Tahir Ibrahim Tahir Talban Bauchi

Despite it’s rather huge population of 1.386 billion in 2017, China remains one of the top three heavily industrialised, as well as technologically advanced countries in not only Asia, but the world over. China has the highest number of young students in the United states and in Europe, studying in ivy league colleges. China’s auto industry is competitive enough to be compared with the best in America and Europe. Chinese phone manufacturers Huawei, have threatened the advancement and utility of Apple Inc. so much that Trump has had to tactically clip Chinese wings on American soil, in the smart phone multi-billion dollar industry. David Rowan wrote in The Times, about China’s dizzying investment pace in the armoury industry. At their 70th anniversary parade, China unveiled the newest and deadliest technologically advanced military weaponry. China’s space program had began making preparations to launch a range of Long March rockets to boost its space capabilities to carry out various projects. This activity follows a dramatic and safe return to flight of the country’s largest rocket. These are the heights and expanses of China’s strength technologically, in IT driven global village where artificial intelligence is taking centre stage of life as we know it, with drones and robots, queing to take up or replace humans in day to day labor or workplace activity. We even saw robots taking care of the Corona virus-infected patients, in the one thousand capacity medical facility in China, which was built spectacularly within a matter of days — 2 or 3 or so, essentially less than a week. China was showcased there!

Most unfortunately, China has had a terrible human rights record, and the mostvttoubling has been the genocide of the Uyghur people, predominantly muslims, who have been persecuted, tortured and killed — simply for being muslims. The Uyghurs are Turkic speaking muslims from the Central Asian region. The largest population live in China’s autonomous Xinjiang region, in the country’s north west. The Uyghurs are one of a number of persecuted Muslim minorities in Xinjiang, including the Kazakhs, Uzbeks, Tajiks, Kyrgyz and Hui. There are thousands of Uyghurs spread across Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan. The chinese government had installed surveillance facilities across Uyghur populated areas and Muslim Uyghurs have been arbitrarily arrested and detained in what they’ve called vocational training centres. Members of the Uyghur population have asked for proof of life from Beijing over missing family members. The Han Chinese ethnicity that used to account for just less than 7% of inhabitants of the area, have taken over the 76% Uyghur populated Xinjiang region, after the Chinese annexation of the region back in 1949. China has repeatedly discriminated, oppressed and often violently repressed the Uyghurs which has resulted in terrorist type attacks in Xinjiang and other parts of China.

A brave young lady who was taking make up classes on her Tiktok video online, smartly chipped in an outcry over the human rights violation and open discrimination against the Muslim Uyghur community. Within minutes, her site or account was hit by millions of views. Feroza Aziz was teaching users how to use a lash curler before she switched to urging users to Google the imprisonment of Uyghur muslims. “When they go into those camps, they are beaten, raped and forced to eat pork and hardly do they come out alive. This is another holocaust and no one seems to be talking about it, she exclaimed”. She pointed out that generations before us do not have the power that we posses, as she shared two resources for those who wanted to help the Uyghurs. Some former detainees have told that they have witnessed gang rape, and forced sterilization in the camps; while the chinese government has maintained that the camps are centres meant to combat terrorism and extremism. They have even opened up the camps to select journalists but others claim that the censored visits have been cleverly put up to cover the actual violations and carnages within. Aziza’s tiktok account was most likely censored right after her post, as she couldn’t access the account, nor could she use it to either post or un-post anything on it.

In the last month, China itself has been hit by a horrendous attack of an airborne virus termed Corona virus, which has been claiming lives, making life a living hell for the Chinese and their neighbouring countries. Hong Kong has witnessed almost a shut down and the whole world has watched over the activities in China and its environs. To and fro flights to countries from China have been stopped, as the virus has continually spread in a most deadly pattern. China had over a course been able to have laboratory descriptions of the virus and was able to prescribe containment precautions, to either stop the spread, and in some cases, even kill the virus. Though rare cases of cured patients have been reported, but the virus has spread over to France, and even Africa with Egypt recording an infection.

We have seen images of the Chinese Presodent visiting mosques, seeking prayers for China, and for a clean departure from the Corona crises. Later on, there images of chinese citizens that were thronging mosques, and joining congregation prayers, all in a bid to seek mercy from Almighty Allah, for an end to the scourge of the airborne killer. Most of those that prayed outside didnt even know the direction of the Kiblah. The place to look towards as one prays. They faced different directions which to me was symbolic of the chaos and upheaval that China and the Chinese were facing.

I scuffed and rollicked in laughter, not only at the seeming confusion of the Chinese praying at other directions apart from the Kiblah — but that here was China and their President seeking mercy from the Lord of the Uyghurs! I wanted to lend my voice back then when Aziza lent hers, but I felt it was going to be a voice in the shadows, just like hers. I have now rebuked myself and scolded my literary indulgence, into lending my voice to the outcry of people protesting against desecration of human lives. Afterall, perhaps prayer is more advanced than technology. The prophet of Allah, has always said that prayer is the sword (weapon) of the believer. Perhaps too, the Nigerian government will deploy prayer, both in churches and mosques, as panacea to the Boko haram menace and other acts of banditry — aside Amitokun and other community policing ideas dotting our national space.

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Al-Sadique and the Elephant army

Al-Sadique and the Elephant Army

by Tahir Ibrahim Tahir Talban Bauchi

One of the chapters of the holy scriptures — the Qur’an, chapter 105; one of the interrogation forms of the qur’anic chapters, speaks about the army of the elephant and the birds that the Lord Almighty Allah, sent to pelt this army, with stones of barked clay. This army was the abyssinnian army of 570 AD, that set out to destroy mecca, after an attempt to build another attraction to shrink mecca of its crowd and attraction failed. The Lord himself sent a flock of birds that held barked clay in their beaks which they used in pelting this army, completely annihilating it. Suratul fil speaks about this event explicitly. Remarkably over 1400 years ago, aerial warfare was not only existent, but was also very lethal and was used fantabulously in decimating an army that was capable of reducing mecca to rubble, flat on the ground. In recent warfare history of the early 19th century, aerial balloons were also used successfully to fight wars and to obliterate enemy armies.

Lt. Gen. Olufemi Adegbulegbu on wednesday tweeted, “CAS_AMSadique (Chief of Air Staff Al-Sadique) has procured and inducted 22 brand new aircraft (fighter aircraft and helicopter gunships); and 17 additional ones are expected, including 12 super tucano jets. CAS also informed the president that 17 Nigerian pilots were on their way abroad to be trained in the use of J-17 Thunder Jets”. These are just a few, among other fighter jets that have been procured and received, or whose deliveries are being awaited. This was during the induction of another series of combat helicopters which include 3 brand new birds NAF 581, 579 and 578 and also 2 nos. Agusta 109E power helicopters and Mi-171e combat helicopter. There is also the Mi-35 attack helicopter, and convincingly, these will definitely now take the Boko Haram war to the Next Level, Olufemi impressed again on his twitter handle. This induction took place at the Eagke square grounds, in the heart of the Central Business District of Abuja, by the Federal Secratariat Square, last week.

Another investigative journalist, Abdulrahman Sade, while shedding light on the constitutionality or not, of the protracted stay of the service chiefs, in the face of the ‘heat’ from the national assembly, in calls for the resignation of PMB, over the impasse of the insurgency war; underlined how the stay of the chiefs and their replacement, is legally at the discretion of Mr. President. If it were not so, then by gauging the ‘centigrade’ of the heat from the assembly, the senators would have taken a more terse action, led by Senator Abaribe and other PMB resignation callers — most likely in the way of a summon of all the service chiefs, and an open confrontation with them in one of the committee rooms, as is usual with the grillings, that government appointees and other functionaries go through, whenever they err, and face the quizzes from the hallowed chambers. Abaribe was of course reminded too that he himself needed to resign after Kanu jumped bail, with Abaribe as his surety.

Asymmetrical warfare which is the Boko Haram type, is the most difficult to manage or execute– and an end to it is duly very taxing. Nonetheless, the departure from the ubiquitous worship place bombings all over the country, to the current day banditry and splintered terrorist attacks, takes note of changes and improvements in the security challenge matter. The last 4 to 5 months have seen a surreptitious hike in the prevalence of not only kidnappings and bandit activities, but as well, in the number of terrorist attacks, as they reinforce in a rejuvenation drive, to take over army bases or camps especially in the north east. The Maiduguri-damaturu road has become as deadly as it used to be during the pre-2015 times and the citizenry are beginning to lose patience, over this new resurgence.

On Oct. 22, Xinhua.com Africa, reported that the Nigerian Airforce had killed several Boko Haram militants regrouping at Bukar Meram, a town in the north eastern state of Borno, bordering Lake Chad. Commodore Ibikunle Daramola, made this known to press men. In another attack by the Nigerian Airforce on the 19th of September 2019, Boko Haram training facilities were also bombed at the Malam Fatori, along the fringes of the Lake Chad. These attacks have been made possible by the deployment and use of the NAF (ISR), intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance aircraft. The Mi-35 fighter helicopter was used to take strikes on the machine gun mounted trucks after the ISR had detected the movements of the trucks. AVM Olatokunbo Adesanya, NAF’s Director of Public Relations said that several gun trucks including their inhabitants were destroyed with rockets and cannons. “Overhead the location, the attack platform acquired, interdicted and destroyed the targets”, he said. This was on the 10th of April, 2019. These aerial powers, have made it possible for the Operation Lafiya Dole, mounted by the combatant military, to continue with their ground offensive apace, Adesanya explained.

The most lethal arm of the military offensive against terrorism and banditry has been the NAF, no doubt. The CAS (Al-Sadique Abubakar), has more than impressed, in the management and execution of the aerial power, now turning superpower. The recent attack in the north western forests, destroying the ansaru base, with the help of the Nigeria Police Bell helicopter is another testimony of the superiority of the aerial challenge. The police public relations officer, Frank Mba, disclosed that the helicopter was shot down by the insurgents, using GPMGs (general purpose machine guns), and other anti-aircraft rifles. The helicopter was masterfully steered to safety by the specialised pilots of the police Air wing, involved in the Puff Arder offensive. CAS will deliver God willing, and I pray that another Bauchaian excels in the Next Level drive, expeditiously enough; so that ‘change’ as it is, will become change as it were. Zamfara’s charge against banditry was also effective, due to the deployment of aerial power. My prayer is the prayer; that CAS defeats the terrorists, just the way the abyssinnians of ‘fil’ were defeated over 1400 years ago, by superior and divine air power.

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Friday sermon at a Sunday Pulpit

A sermon is supposed to be short and precise, making it a collage of knowledge that is comprehensible and can easily be recollected, especially at the most auspicious times — when it needs to be applied or utilised. These days, sermons and the custodians of sermons in religious spaces have found it hard to remain apolitical and they have dabbled into too much politics, you would believe they were chairmen of political parties and campaign directors of political aspirants. The sermons become too long and lack proper ‘sermon content’. We remain keen on learning from the preachers, hoping to enjoy the body of knowledge that can be harvested from enjoying such sermons; but many at times we are let down by unnecessary and unsolicited banter over political content and other matters of social discourse. I found myself at a mosque on the outskirts of town in Bauchi as Tami had taken me to a mosque nearby, close to his residence and luckily for him, his office as well. We of course couldn’t help but lament the fact that there were over 5 mosques that offered Friday prayers in the same vicinity, and how they all have to inconvenience motorists, as all access roads are blocked from around 1pm till after 3pm. Insecurity situations around this practice have long receded but yet, we are faced with precautionary measures that have more or less become traditions; that have probably come to stay, untill we have a Zulum as state governor in every state in dear naija.

I had to redo my ablution as we reached, while Tami headed into the mosque to listen to the sermon and to pray the voluntary prayers, before the main course Friday prayer. As I took time to find water and a rubber kettle to perform my ablution with, the sermon of the Imam from the mosque was rendered via the public address system and I listened on. Though at the back of my mind I was dejected at the flow of ‘talk’ that wasn’t necessarily centred on ‘deen’ and the teachings of Islam, I was half-heartedly attentive, and my half-piece attention was rewarded with a sermon that served a different kind of material. I was partly listening as I was trying to while away time, but at the same time, glued-in, trying to make sense of it all. For the first time in over a year, here was a mosque with an Imam talking deen and delivering a sermon that could actually improve one’s religious practices.

My new Imam said, (in hausa), “You are wearing a long beard, posing as a saint, yet you sell all manner of cigarettes and substances that are injurious to the health of your customers, my dear brother, God will judge you as sinner, do not be deceived”. He turned another leaf and said, “You are paid to kill as a terrorist, and you earn pittance as livelihood, my dear brother, you will go to hell immediately you leave mother earth. You collect bribes and block motorists from making their journeys in due time, because you carry a gun, a belt and a dirtily starched uniform, my dear brother you belong with the previous two I have mentioned”.

My sister, you know the prophet married nine wives and also ordained man to marry four, yet you will kill your husband, anytime you feel a whiff of another woman, coming to marry your husband. My brother, you maintain one wife, but roam all over town, rummaging the Savannah, chasing women and girls, instead of marrying one more; the Lord will put you in an abode where you will perish with the condemned! All the same — today, women will do their worst to make sure they don’t have a ‘mate’ in their homes.

My new Imam fired on, now in a ranting delivery, condemning those that maim and kill and invoke the name of God, while all they are doing is invoking the wrath of God actually. He swears that Allah will on the day of judgement, seek recompense for those that were destroyed by these ruthless killers, who do so for vain and unholy glory. My ablution took almost 30 mins as I listened to this man of God who told the truth like the truth. No coloration no laceration, no dilly-dallying, and no bars held. I found myself redoing my ablution and redoing it again, as if I wasn’t sure if I had done it properly. He went over to the class of people that are in power and touches on the incarceration and condemnation of other people by leaders who forget that in four or eight years, the power and the sirens are gone. He reminded them to remain steadfast and act accordingly, as the constitution teaches them, and as their religion preaches to them. In my mind I exclaimed, “What”!

For so many fridays I had lamented the drag in sermons and the way and manner in which our preachers, both Muslim and Christian, have so migrated from preaching, and have transmitted into politicians, always talking politics, and in one way or the other, getting in the way of politics. Since as clerics they have our people’s attention, then they have a duty to be actually Godly, and teach the word of God and the ways of the lord. Religion has long been conceived into an industry and the riches found with leaders of religion is staggering and mind wobbling. What obtains in Islamic spheres has almost an exact replica in churches and other forms of traditional or modern worship circles.

Our churches and mosques must be used as tools for national unity and made use of as catalysts for a national advantage. Government must censor religious practices and religious preachers. Traditional institutions must be constitutionally adopted in a such a way that they carry some pound of authority, that can be used to enhance national security. Just as all politics remains local, so also does security. Amitokun, the Igbo counterpart, and the proposed Shegekapasa outfits can be merged into a traditional institution appendage, working hand in hand with the proposed community policing idea. The British prime minister goes to the queen for approvals, yet we continue to behave as if we are borrowing their systems of leadership, while effectively abandoning our own cultural heritage. Prince Harry and wife Meghan, left the fold of a traditional institution of one of the most civilised democracies in the world, so that they can live a private life in Canada. The whole world was keyed in and almost stood still over such silly drama. This underlines the importance and relevance of tradition as a way of life, and its relationship with democratic governance, as a style of leadership.

The hausa’s say, “kowa ya bar gida, gida ya barshi”. That if you leave your abode or ancestry, then your abode or ancestry has left you as well. Emir Lamido Sanusi may sound controversial, but most times, is right on the most pertinent of issues. He warns that if poverty is not eradicated from the north, then Islam as we know it will be wiped out of existence in the north. This is hard and core truth and reality. Poverty is the greatest weapon of mass destruction in my humble opinion. The north especially, needs to stand up to this challenge, as the statistics do not lie and they do not favour the once giant and princely north!

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